Principles

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and
promote:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our
congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:

* Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures,
which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and
uphold life;
* Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront
powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of
love;
* Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
* Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our
neighbors as ourselves;
* Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results
of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
* Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of
life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.

Theological Perspectives

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that embraces theological diversity. Our faith
has evolved through a long history with origins in European Christian traditions.
Unitarian Universalism today is the result of the 1961 consolidation of the American
Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. To learn more about the
history and evolution of our faith, please see History.

While our congregations uphold shared principles, individual Unitarian Universalists may
discern their own beliefs about theological issues. As there is no official Unitarian
Universalist creed, Unitarian Universalists are free to search for truth on many paths.
We welcome people who identify with and draw inspiration from Atheism and
Agnosticism, Buddhism, Christianity, Humanism, Judaism, Paganism, and other religious
or philosophical traditions.
Spiritual Topics
Unitarian Universalism welcomes people with different beliefs and there is rich dialogue
in our congregations about spiritual issues. Below are answers to some common
questions from newcomers about Unitarian Universalism.
Spiritual Practice

How do Unitarian Universalists engage in spiritual practice? Do Unitarian Universalists

pray?

Unitarian Universalist congregations and individuals may engage in prayer, meditation,

silent contemplation, worship, and other types of spiritual practice.

Please explore our sample meditations and prayers and the essays "Unitarian Universalist
Views of Prayer" and "The Value of Personal Spiritual Practice" (PDF) (MP3).

To learn more about Sunday morning services in Unitarian Universalist congregations,

please visit our worship information.
Existence of a Higher Power

What do Unitarian Universalists believe about the existence of a higher power?

Diverse beliefs about the existence of a higher power are welcome in Unitarian
Universalist congregations. Unitarian Universalists may be Atheists, Humanists,
Christians, Pagans, or identify with other theological and philosophical traditions.

The following essays explore Unitarian Universalist perspectives about the existence of a
higher power:

* "Unitarian Universalist Views of God"

* "The Faith of a Humanist"
* "The Faith of a Theist: There Must be a God Somewhere"
* "UU Kids Say: God Is..."

Life and Death

How do Unitarian Universalists understand death?

The Universalist tradition, which is an integral part of Unitarian Universalist heritage,

was a Christian movement grounded in the belief in universal salvation and God's love
for all people.
Unitarian Universalism today is a theologically diverse religion in which many different
beliefs about death and the possibility of an afterlife are welcome. The following UU
World articles explore Unitarian Universalist understandings of death and the afterlife:

* "Love and Death"

* "On the Death of a Child"
* "There is No Crisp Line"

Unitarian Universalist memorial services and funerals are common. The order of service
for these ceremonies may be developed by the loved ones of the deceased and the
presiding minister.
Inspiration and Guidance

Where do Unitarian Universalists find inspiration and guidance?

Unitarian Universalism affirms that inspiration and meaning may be found in many
sources, including experience, history, and religious tradition.

The Unitarian Universalist faith draws from six sources:

* Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures,
which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and
uphold life.
* Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront
powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of
love.
* Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
* Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our
neighbors as ourselves.
* Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results
of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
* Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of
life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Many Unitarian Universalists also find guidance and comfort in these seven principles
that our UUA congregations affirm and promote:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our
congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Sacred Texts

Does Unitarian Universalism have a sacred text or scripture?

Unitarian Universalists may find guidance in many written materials, including the sacred
texts and scriptures of other religious traditions.

For some Unitarian Universalists, the Bible is an important part of their religious life. To
learn about Unitarian Universalist interpretations of the Bible, please read the essay
"Unitarian Universalist Views of the Bible" and the UU World article "Why bother with
the Bible?"
Social Justice

What is the role of social justice in Unitarian Universalism?

Our strong commitment to social justice is grounded in our Unitarian Universalist

history, our seven principles, and in contemporary Unitarian Universalist congregational
life.

The first principle that UUA congregations affirm and promote is the inherent worth and
dignity of every person. Our congregations strive to welcome all people. The seven
principles also call UUA congregations to work for justice, equity and compassion in
human relations, the democratic process, the goal of world community, and respect for
the interdependent web of all existence.

Our Unitarian Universalist commitment to social justice fuels our advocacy for
comprehensive sexuality education; economic justice; environmental justice; equality for
bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender (BGLT) people and their families; gender
equality; immigrant rights; and other important causes which Unitarian Universalists and
UUA congregations support.
Flaming Chalice: Symbol of Our Faith

A flame within a chalice (a cup with a stem and foot), represents the Unitarian
Universalist Association (UUA) and is a symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith.

"At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a
flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our
denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work."
—Dan Hotchkiss

Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a
Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World
War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian
Universalists today have many different interpretations of the image. To learn more about
the history of our Unitarian Universalist symbol, please read the pamphlet, "The Flaming
Chalice."

The flaming chalice image has changed many times over the past 65 years. Modern
chalice designs often incorporate two overlapping circles which, for many people,
represent our Unitarian and Universalist heritages. Other images include additional
elements, some of which are merely decorative and others which are very meaningful.

Our current official UUA logo was designed to offer a visual representation of a modern
and dynamic faith. Unitarian Universalist congregations are free to use the UUA's logo in
their congregational work, but they are not required to do so. Because of this, you may
see many different styles of flaming chalices and other images used by Unitarian
Universalist congregations.

The Flaming Chalice

By Dan Hotchkiss

At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a

flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our
denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work.

The flaming chalice combines two archetypes—a drinking vessel and a flame—and as a
religious symbol has different meanings to different beholders.

Chalices, cups, and flagons can be found worldwide on ancient manuscripts and altars.
The chalice used by Jesus at his last Passover seder became the Holy Grail sought by the
knights of Wales and England. Jan Hus, Czech priest and forerunner of the Reformation,
was burned at the stake for proposing, among other things, that the communion chalice be
shared with the laity. More recently, feminist writer Riane Eisler has used the chalice as a
symbol of the "partnership way" of being in community. Sharing, generosity, sustenance,
and love are some of the meanings symbolized by a chalice.

As a sacrificial fire, flame has been a central symbol for the world's oldest scriptures, the
Vedic hymns of India. Today, lights shine on Christmas and Hanukkah, eternal flames
stand watch at monuments and tombs, and candles flicker in cathedrals, temples,
mosques, and meeting houses. A flame can symbolize witness, sacrifice, testing, courage,
and illumination.

The chalice and the flame were brought together as a Unitarian symbol by an Austrian
artist, Hans Deutsch, in 1941. Living in Paris during the 1930s, Deutsch drew critical
cartoons of Adolf Hitler. When the Nazis invaded Paris in 1940, he abandoned all he had
and fled to the South of France, then to Spain, and finally, with an altered passport, into
Portugal.
There, he met the Reverend Charles Joy, executive director of the Unitarian Service
Committee (USC). The Service Committee was new, founded in Boston to assist Eastern
Europeans, among them Unitarians as well as Jews, who needed to escape Nazi
persecution. From his Lisbon headquarters, Joy oversaw a secret network of couriers and
agents.

Deutsch was most impressed and soon was working for the USC. He later wrote to Joy:

There is something that urges me to tell you... how much I admire your utter self denial
[and] readiness to serve, to sacrifice all, your time, your health, your well being, to help,
help, help.

I am not what you may actually call a believer. But if your kind of life is the profession of
your faith—as it is, I feel sure—then religion, ceasing to be magic and mysticism,
becomes confession to practical philosophy and—what is more—to active, really useful
social work. And this religion—with or without a heading—is one to which even a
'godless' fellow like myself can say wholeheartedly, Yes!

The USC was an unknown organization in 1941. This was a special handicap in the
cloak-and-dagger world, where establishing trust quickly across barriers of language,
nationality, and faith could mean life instead of death. Disguises, signs and countersigns,
and midnight runs across guarded borders were the means of freedom in those days. Joy
asked Deutsch to create a symbol for their papers "to make them look official, to give
dignity and importance to them, and at the same time to symbolize the spirit of our
work.... When a document may keep a man out of jail, give him standing with
governments and police, it is important that it look important."

Thus, Hans Deutsch made his lasting contribution to the USC and, as it turned out, to
Unitarian Universalism. With pencil and ink he drew a chalice with a flame. It was, Joy
wrote his board in Boston,

a chalice with a flame, the kind of chalice which the Greeks and Romans put on their
altars. The holy oil burning in it is a symbol of helpfulness and sacrifice.... This was in
the mind of the artist. The fact, however, that it remotely suggests a cross was not in his
mind, but to me this also has its merit. We do not limit our work to Christians. Indeed, at
the present moment, our work is nine-tenths for the Jews, yet we do stem from the
Christian tradition, and the cross does symbolize Christianity and its central theme of
sacrificial love.

The flaming chalice design was made into a seal for papers and a badge for agents
moving refugees to freedom. In time it became a symbol of Unitarian Universalism all
around the world.

The story of Hans Deutsch reminds us that the symbol of a flaming chalice stood in the
beginning for a life of service. When Deutsch designed the flaming chalice, he had never
seen a Unitarian or Universalist church or heard a sermon. What he had seen was faith in
action—people who were willing to risk all for others in a time of urgent need.

Today, the flaming chalice is the official symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee and the Unitarian Universalist Association. Officially or unofficially, it
functions as a logo for hundreds of congregations. Perhaps most importantly, it has
become a focal point for worship. No one meaning or interpretation is official. The
flaming chalice, like our faith, stands open to receive new truths that pass the tests of
reason, justice, and compassion.